Window air filter with locking assembly

ABSTRACT

A window air filter unit for mounting between a top frame part and a top sash of an upper window, with an improved unit for locking the air filter unit in such position. The improved locking unit is an adjustable length lock having a connector, link means at the opposite ends of the connector, and hook elements at the ends of the link means to releasably engage catches, one catch fixed to an adjacent window side frame part just below the junction with the top frame part; and the other catch fixed on a movable sleeve of the filter unit. The catches are on the room side of the window and air filter unit so the air filter unit may be easily mounted and demounted by a person inside the room.

United States Patent Navara 1 WINDOW AIR FILTER WlTl-l LOCKING ASSEMBLY [76] Inventor: Joseph Navara, 2105 Walton St.,

Chicago, 111. 60610 4/1942 Williams 98/99 R 10/1972 Navara 98/99 R Primary Examiner-Meyer Perlin Assistant Examiner-Henry C. Yuen [57] ABSTRACT A window air filter unit for mounting between a top frame part and a top sash of an upper window, with an improved unit for locking the air filter unit in such position. The improved locking unit is an adjustable length lock having a connector, link means at the opposite ends of the connector, and hook elements at the ends of the link means to releasably engage catches, one catch fixed to an adjacent window side framepart just below the junction with the top frame part; and the other catch fixed on a movable sleeve of the filter unit. The catches are on the room side of the window and air filter unit so the air filter unit may be easily mounted and demounted by a person inside the room.

2 Claims, 6 ewia li rs PATENTED 31130!!!" 3.8 26, 1 82 E YQI 1 20 24/ 21 llllllll WINDOW AIR FILTER WITH LOCKING ASSEMBLY This invention relates to an improved locking unit for an air filter mountable between the top sash of an upper window and a top window frame part. The invention also relates to an improved combination of a window assembly and air filter unit wherein such locking unit operates to advantage.

The air filter unit which comprises part of the present invention is of the type which is extensible from side to side. Such a unit has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,308, issued to the present applicant. Generally, such a unit is elongated for mounting between opposite side window frame parts, and such unit has opposite end sleeves which are movable inwardly and outwardly to fill the side to side space between the side window frame parts. A filter material is between the end sleeves, and such filter material is contained within an air pervious housing which can include mesh material. The room side of the housing may be further provided with louvers to direct the incoming air downwardly, as further shown in said U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,308.

The above issued patent disclosed the advantages of mounting such an air filter at the top between the top frame part of the window and the top sash member of the upper window;- and mounting another unit between the bottom window frame part or the sill and the bottom sash of the lower window. Air circulation paths are set up by the warm room air rising and leaving the top air filter unit while fresh cooler air enters the lower window air filter unit. Mounting the bottom air filter unit presents no problem with respect to secure positioning or fixing against displacement. Such problems do, however, exist at the top air filter unit. Said U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,308 disclose effective but somewhat cumbersome locking units to hold the top and bottom windows in fixed position against such mounted air filter units. Generally, the disclosed locking units include elongated adjustable rods having channel members at one end to engage a sash of the window, and having means at the opposite end for engaging the adjoining upper or lower frame part. Not only is this locking unit large and somewhat complicated, but it is characterized by ackwardness in mounting the top air filter unit. In particular, it is difficult to hold the upper air filter unit while mounting the adjustable locking device between the bottom frame part and the top sash of the upper window.

An object of the present invention is to accordingly provide an improved adjustable locking unit which is operational directly between the upper air filter unit and an adjoining side window frame part, without requiring positioning or locking of the window, as such, to hold the upper air filter unit. It is an aspect of this object that the upper air filter unit can be more qickly and conventionally mounted from the room side by the few steps of simply positioning the air filter unit between the upper sash of the top window and the top window frame part; extending the sleeves until they abut the adjacent side window frame parts; and extending the locking unit to engage a catch on the side window frame parts below the junction with the top window frame part; and providing inward compression of said locking unit to securely hold the air filter unit in mounted position. Other means and steps may be provided to further secure the air filter unit in position,

such as providing locking tabs on the opposite sleeve members to engage adjacent grooves in the opposite side window frame parts.

The above object is attained together with its related aspects, expressed and understood, by the invention of the following disclosure, including drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view showing the combination of a window assembly and the air filter unit with the improved locking unit;

FIG. 2 is a portional front elevational view, on an enlarged scale, showing one embodiment of means to adjust the length of the locking unit;

FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view similar to that of FIG. 2, but on a somewhat reduced scale, showing an alternative embodiment for means to adjust the length and compression of the locking unit;

FIG. 5 is a portional view, partly in section, showing a window side frame part with a catch mounted on the face thereof; and

FIG. 6 is a portional view in section of the air filter unit showing means for mounting a catch to a sleeve of said unit.

Use of the same numerals in the various views of the drawings will indicate a reference to the same parts, structures, elements or relationships, as the case may be.

Referring now to the drawings, a window assembly includes a top window frame part 7, opposite side window parts 8, a bottom window frame part or sill 9, a lower window 10 and an upper window 12.

The side window frame part conventionally includes a facing portion 13, a lower window track portion 14 and an upper window track portion 16. The facing portion has a face or surface 17 which is on the room side of the window assembly.

. The upper window has a top, sash 18 which engages the bottom of a window air filter unit shown generally as 20. Such an air filter unit is shown with a pair of opposite end sleeves 21 which are movable along the longitudinal axis of the elongated air filter unit. The room side of each sleeve is shown with a locking tab 22 secured by a pivot 23 to the sleeve. Such locking tabs are pivoted to engage the gap in facing portions 13 of side frame member 8, as shown in the drawings.

The filter medium of the air filter unit is contained within a housing which is shown as including a mesh covering 24 which area is variously opened and closed by three overlapping plastic sheets, including intermediate underlying sheet 26a and side overlapping sheets 26b. The sheets 26b may be moved into accommodating spaces within sleeves 21, and the intermediate sheet 26a may be slid underneath one of the sheets 26b. In this way, varying areas of air pervious mesh covering 24 are exposed.

The housing also includes a pair of channels 28, one located at the top and the other at the bottom of the air filter unit. The end sleeves 21 slide over such channels. The filtering material 30 may be charcoal impregnated or may comprise charcoal granules or other filtering materials.

The locking device or member is shown generally as 32 in the views of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The locking member includes a connector shown herein as a coil spring 36. The final turns 38 of the coil spring are bent outwardly so that the planes of such final turns are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spring 36. The opposite ends of the connector spring have links such as 40 provided with a terminating hook element 42 which is adapted to releasably engage a catch fixed on the sleeve, such as ring 44. The ring shown in greater detail in the view of FIG. 6 has bent ends 45 which are located between the sleeve 21 and the assembled mesh covering 24 and plastic sheet 26. The opposite end of the spring connector also has a link 46 similarly joined at one end to final turn 38, and the other end terminating in a hook element 48. The face or surface 17 of the side window frame 8 is provided with a catch 50 shown in the form of a stud securely fixed to the facing member 17. The hook element 48 releasably engages such a catch after tensioning the spring 32.

It is seen that the adjustable locking spring is sufficiently long to engage the catch 50 on the face 17 of the side frame part 8, and that such locking unit is then under a compression lock in the sense that the final turns 38 at the opposite ends of the connector spring 36 are urged inwardly or towards each other. This action, together with the abutting engagement of the edges of the air filter unit against the sash and frame parts, results in secure mounting of the air filter unit. It will be further seen that the locking unit is sufficiently long so that in the untensioned state the connector or spring 36 extends beyond the side edge of the sleeve when the locking device is rotated to the 270 position or normal to the vertical side frame part. This position is generally in an area below but close to the locking tab 22. The junction of the top frame part 7 and the side frame parts 8 is the illustrated corner which may be viewed as the 305 position or one-one half the radial distance between the 270 position and the 360 position where the connector is in normal relationship to the horizontal top frame part 7. When the locking unit is operationally locked, as shown in the view of FIG. 4, the connector or tensioned spring 36 stops short of the edge of the sleeve 23. This is generally at about 300. The geometry of this locking is advantageously effective since the northwest corner of the sleeve is urged towards the junction corner between the side frame and the top frame parts of the window assembly. Such a favorable interlock would not be attained, for example, if the connector were engaged to a catch at the 270 position. It is clear that the prescribed circular degrees relate to the left sleeve, and that opposite corresponding degrees will apply to the right-hand sleeve.

The alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 illustrates an adjustable locking device or unit which has a fixed adjusted position as a result of a turnbuckle assembly, shown generally as 58. Such an assembly includes a turnbuckle sleeve 60 and opposite threaded rods 62 with left and right-handed threads so that rotation of the sleeve in one direction either tightens or losens the assembly in the usual way. Threaded rods have terminating hook elements 64, one of which releasably engages locking aperture 66 in the facing or surface 17 of the side frame window part. The opposite hook element 64 is shown engaged to S-link 68 which, in turn, releasably engages rigid loop member 70 fixed to the room side of the sleeve by fastener 72. The S-link facilitates the engagement of the turnbuckle assembly to the catch fixed to the sleeve.

The claims of the invention are now presented, and the terms thereof may be further understood by reference to the language of the preceding specification and the views of the drawing.

What is claimed is:

1. In a window filter for mounting between the top sash of a window and a horizontal top window frame part, said filter having opposite movable sleeves to extend the filter to abutting fit between the opposite vertical side frame parts of the window, said sleeve further holding a filter material within an air pervious housing, the improvement which comprises,

an adjustable locking unit mounted on the room side of each sleeve, each locking unit including a catch fixed inwardly on the sleeve, a spring connector, and a window frame link at the opposite end of said spring connector, said window frame link having means to releasably engage a side frame catch on each adjoining vertical side frame part, said side frame catch located just below the junction between each vertical side frame part and the top frame part, said spring being rotatably positioned relative to said inwardly positioned catch on the sleeve so that the untensioned spring extends beyond the edge of the sleeve when positioned normal to the vertical side frame part, and said tensioned spring stopping short of the sleeve edge in angular position when the window link of the connector engages the side frame catch just below the junction between each vertical side frame part and the top frame part.

2. In a window filter which includes the features of claim 1 above, wherein said spring connector includes a hook element to releasably engage said sleeve catch, and said window frame link has a hook element to releasably engage said window frame catch. 

1. In a window filter for mounting between the top sash of a window and a horizontal top window frame part, said filter having opposite movable sleeves to extend the filter to abutting fit between tHe opposite vertical side frame parts of the window, said sleeve further holding a filter material within an air pervious housing, the improvement which comprises, an adjustable locking unit mounted on the room side of each sleeve, each locking unit including a catch fixed inwardly on the sleeve, a spring connector, and a window frame link at the opposite end of said spring connector, said window frame link having means to releasably engage a side frame catch on each adjoining vertical side frame part, said side frame catch located just below the junction between each vertical side frame part and the top frame part, said spring being rotatably positioned relative to said inwardly positioned catch on the sleeve so that the untensioned spring extends beyond the edge of the sleeve when positioned normal to the vertical side frame part, and said tensioned spring stopping short of the sleeve edge in angular position when the window link of the connector engages the side frame catch just below the junction between each vertical side frame part and the top frame part.
 2. In a window filter which includes the features of claim 1 above, wherein said spring connector includes a hook element to releasably engage said sleeve catch, and said window frame link has a hook element to releasably engage said window frame catch. 